Industrial apparatus



Jan. 22, 1963 3,074,362

E. B. BROADRICK ETAL INDUSTRIAL APPARATUS Filed March 29, 1960 FIG. 2.

IIII/WIIIIIIIIA m ,1. W I IIIIIIIIIII INVENTO 1 ED B. BROADRI GLENN J. LEDFORD ATTY.

United States Patent 3,074,362 INDUSTRIAL APPARATUS Ed B. Broadrick, Tiger, and Glenn l. Ledford', Glayton, 6a., assignors to Earnes Lees and Sons Company, Bridgeport, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Mar. 29, 1969, Ser. No. 18,364 2 Claims. (ill. 112-79) This invention relates to tufting machines and more particularly to an improved attachment for a pilefabric tufting machine which prevents the needle from engagingpreviously formed pile projections.

In the tufting of pile fabrics such as carpets by means of a bank of vertically oscillating pile yarn carrying needles, it is important that previously formed pile projections, whether cut or uncut but usually uncut, are prevented from contact with the needles on a subsequent insertion. This condition occurs in the tufting of deep pile fabrics and also if the yarns have high twist which tends to induce the loops to curl back into the area through which the needles penetrate on a subsequent stroke. Not only is it important to prevent a subsequent engagement of the needles with the previously formed 100p, but it is also desirable to avoid as far as possible contact between the loopers and the previous loop so that an even pile surface can be produced without apparent flaws or defects.

A primary object of the invention therefore is to provide means for preventing contact between the needles and previously formed pile projections.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pervious brush-like element positioned underneath the throat of a tufting machine which serves to guard against the back twisting or bending of previously formed pile.

A further object of the invention is to provide a series of substantially horizontal guard fingers in the form of bristles through which the needles carrying pile projections can readily penetrate but against which the previously formed pile is held in spaced position with regard to the path of needle travel.

Further objects will be apparent from the specification and drawings in which:

PEG. 1 is a sectional view through a conventional multi-needle tufting machine equipped with the present invention,

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional detail of the throat plate and associated structure of the tufting machine shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the mechanism and fabric in a moved position, and

FIG. 4 is a perspective of the protective guard element shown in FIGS. 1-3.

The invention comprises essentially the provision of a special brush-like element mounted underneath the throat plate of a tufting machine in such a position that tufts of bristles extend in a plane substantially perpendicular to the path of needle travel and so that the needle passes through the bristles in its downward movement. The tips of the bristles terminate in an area substantially beyond the path of needle travel thus preventing previously formed loops from extending backward into the zone protected by the bristles.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, a conventional multi-needle tufting machine comprises a bed 5 having a throat or throat plate 6 through which a series of needles 7 oscillate vertically. The needles 7 are secured in a needle bar 3 by means of individual setscrews 9 and the needle bar is controlled in its vertical oscillation through a shaft lit journaled in bearings 11 and operatively associated with a crankshaft 12- through connecting rod 13. The crankshaft 12 and its associ- 3,?4,3h2 Patented Jan. 22, 1953 ice ated structure is encased in an upper housing 14 supported over the bed 5 by means of standards 15. Backing fabric F is fed over guideroll 1'7, pin feed roll 13, and across thebed 5 and throat plate 6 to the. zone in which it is penetrated bythe needle 7. The tufted fabric passes over guide roll 19 and around a pin take-up roll 20.

The tufting machine shown in the present instance produces an uncut or loop pile fabric and. for this purpose has aseries of loopers 25 secured in looper bar 26 which is in turn clamped to looper rockshaft 27 underneath. the throat 6. The looper-s oscillate. in timed relation with the penetration of the needles through the fabric F so that each looper engages in pile yarn in the needle thus forming pile loops L of substantially constant height. The tufting machine is also provided with the conventional presser foot assembly 30, jerker bar 31, and yarn guide 32. The pile yarn ends Y are fed from a yarn supply, not shown, usually a creel. It will be understood that the invention may be applied equally to a cut pile machine or to one equipped with any one of the conventional pattern attachments for producing pile of various heights in accordance with a pre-determined pattern. The above described structure forms no part of the present invention and is conventional on present day multi-needle pile tufting machines.

When producing pile projections of relatively great height and also in the event a high twist pile yarn is used, an undesirable tendency of the previously formed pile loop L1 to twist or bend backwardly into the path of the needles on their next stroke is encountered. Many devices including air jets have been tried in an effort to prevent this undesirable feature but with little or no success. It has been found, however, that the installation of a brush element 35 under the throat 6 and secured thereto by means of screws 36 is entirely successful in preventing loop contact or sewing through previously formed pile projections. The density of the bristles 37 in the brush 35 is an important feature, however, since the face of these bristles as seen in FIG. 4 must preferably present a relatively unbroken surface in a plane substantially parallel to the throat 6. This eliminates any possibility that the previously formed loops L1 can in any way penetrate the bristles or find any interstices through which they could move into the path of the needles. The tip contact with the bristles is sufficient for this purpose where the individual bristle tufts 33 are spaced in the brush plate 39. Just as it is important to position the bristles 37 in such a manner that an unbroken and impenetrable barrier is presented to the loops, it is conversely important that the density of the bristles in the area which must be penetrated by the needles 7 and the yarn Y is reduced to a minimum to reduce friction and the production of heat which is generated thereby. This problem was found to be acute when nylon bristles were employed since the heat generated by the needles in the yarn proved to be of sulficient magnitude to fuse the bristles. It has been found that natural bristles approximately 4" long from tip to the face of the plate 39 and formed in tufts spaced center to center will flare sufl iciently to present the desired barrier to backward movement of the pile projections and at the same time be suiiiciently open in the area penetrated by the needles to reduce heat and excessive friction. In addition, it has been found that the outer tips of the bristles should not project too far (preferably A2) beyond the path of needle travel because it is desirable to have at least a portion of the preceding loops L1 carried beyond the tips before the needle makes its next penetration. This insures against any possibility that any projections L1 can re-enter the bristie-guarded area.

The invention solves a particularly vexing problem in the tufting of pile over .300" and/ or high twist carpets and rugs as well as other types of pile fabrics. The installation of the device on the tuiting machine is simple since no basic modifications are required.

Having thus described our invention, We claim:

1. In a tufting machine having a throat over which a backing fabric passes, at least one oscillating needle supplied with pile yarn for penetrating the backing fabric over the throat and carrying the pile yarn through the fabric, looper means for engaging the pile yarns underneath the throat, the improvement which comprises a series of bristles positioned under the throat and extending substantially at right angles to the path of needle travel, said bristles being mounted underneath the throat References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,037,725 Kaiser Apr. 21, 1936 2,836,134 Harrison May 27, 1958 2,879,730 Smith Mar. 31, 1959 2,975,736 Card Mar. 21, 1961 

1. IN A TUFTING MACHINE HAVING A THROAT OVER WHICH A BACKING FABRIC PASSES, AT LEAST ONE OSCILLATING NEEDLE SUPPLIED WITH PILE YARN FOR PENETRATING THE BACKING FABRIC OVER THE THROAT AND CARRYING THE PILE YARN THROUGH THE FABRIC, LOOPER MEANS FOR ENGAGING THE PILE YARNS UNDERNEATH THE THROAT, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES A SERIES OF BRISTLES POSITIONED UNDER THE THROAT AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE PATH OF NEEDLE TRAVEL, SAID BRISTLES BEING MOUNTED UNDERNEATH THE THROAT AND PENETRATED BY THE NEEDLE TO CARRY INCIPIENT PILE YARN LOOPS INTO AND THROUGH THE BRISTLES SAID BRISTLES BEING IMPENETRABELE BY PILE PROJECTIONS PREVIOUSLY FORMED BY THE NEEDLES AND RELEASED BY THE LOOPER. 